Actually Netflix has said that they have noticed that people who watch TV episodes on the service tend to consume them a season at a time. That is part of what prompted them to release House of Cards all at once. They have also said they intend to do the same with the new season of Arrested Development.

Doling out an episode at a time makes sense for TV. You've got airtime to fill and ads to sell against that airtime. But it also creates a system where writers need to make every episode a crisis so they can leave cliffhangers and hook viewers into next weeks episode. And if a show gets cancelled viewers are just left twisting in the wind which only creates bad feelings towards the networks. It's a tiring and crappy system with little creativity in it. With the season at a time system writers know they've got a guaranteed number of episodes to set things up and pay them off which I have no doubt will make for better storytelling. For networks trying to squeeze every last ounce of blood from any given stone it may not be financially viable to pay for an entire season upfront even if they do push them out one at a time but fortunately Netflix is in a different type of business. And as a bonus nothing put out on Netflix needs to meet a specific length requirement or have setups for commercial breaks. The story is paramount, as it should be.

2.

Re: Netflix to Deliver All 13 Episodes of ‘House of Cards’ on One Day.

Panickd wrote on Feb 1, 2013, 13:52:Why wouldn't they? It's awesome to watch a show knowing that if you like it you don't have to wait a week to see another episode. I have lost count of the number of shows I have found on Netflix and watched a season at a time.

Though true, there's a reason companies hook you with 1 a week. Well, aside from it being significantly easier for them (they start airing before the season is finished, giving both time as well as the ability to make adjustments to what the audience likes and doesn't), but it keeps people there. And talking.

House of Cards was released in its entirety today. It will be talked about today. And tomorrow. But the die hard fans will watch an entire season in the next 2 weeks. And then they'll stop coming in to work and telling their coworkers how great it was. They'll move on to the next thing, and just wait for it to come back.

In other words, huge immediate buzz, but no sustained buzz. No tail.

Plus you risk people signing up for one month of Netflix, watching the whole thing, then canceling. I suppose you also gamble to have them plan to do that and get hooked on Netflix' other content. So it isn't like this is a stupid idea. But I don't think it's one Netflix will do regularly.

Why wouldn't they? It's awesome to watch a show knowing that if you like it you don't have to wait a week to see another episode. I have lost count of the number of shows I have found on Netflix and watched a season at a time.